Show Review: Argyle Smile, Streetlight Affair, Set To Sea, Kyle and Natalie at Detroit Bar, Sept 1, 2009

Headed down to Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa last night to catch Argyle Smile, Streetlight Affair, Set To Sea, Kyle and Natalie.
Honestly, due to my fatigue, the only bands I paid attention to were Set to Sea and Argyle Smile, but appeared that Streetlight Affair rocked and pretty much had the crowd in the palm of their hands.

Set To Sea were first, played to a sparse crowd, but wow, do these guys have their act together. Very emo, very Jimmy Eat World, and have been compared to Explosions in the Sky. Whatever the comparisons, these kids rock. Tight, natural, and in control of their sound. I would see them again in a heartbeat.

Argyle Smile sounded great too, but by that point in the evening, I was so frickin' tired, I could barely pay attention. I'll try to catch them again in a more rested frame of mine. They had a ukulele, though, so 10 bonus points for that.

The main character of the night was the bar itself. Last time I was here was waaaaaaay back in '94 when I played in a band, JFKFC and the venue was called Club Mesa. The club back then had a certain reputation, only reinforced by the constant grimacing by other bands when we told them where we were playing in Costa Mesa. We had considered canceling, but we were so curious, we went ahead and played the show. The night wasn't half bad and we ended up having fun, not getting harassed or anything.

So it was strange being there again after so many years, but good show. Glad to see it's a MUCH different place than what it used to be and not a half-bad venue at all. Easy to get to, plenty of parking, and great booking.